Cancer

Thursday, July 23, 2009

In the past two days I have worked with two different female patients and each is actively battling a different type of cancer. Yesterday, it was oral cancer and today it was brain cancer.

The brain cancer patient, in her late 80's, was delightful to work with and that mischievous twinkle in her eye was unmistakable! It seems that ever since her (recent) brain operation she has struggled with constipation and, as she and her daughter explained, they had tried several different remedies in the hopes that one of them would consistently alleviate this uncomfortable problem.

One of the remedies ~ recounted by the patient, with wink and a look on her face that told me I was going to laugh hysterically ~ is a tea called "Smooth Move". Of course I started laughing and turned to the daughter and asked "Are you serious?!?". To which she replied, "Yep, it's actually called 'Smooth Move'!"

For several additional minutes, and everytime I caught a glimpse of her through the open exam room door, I felt like I was part of an exclusive club ~ like a secret handshake was required for admittance kind of club. I was truly blessed to have crossed paths with this elderly woman and her daughter today.

Today was absolutely nuts. From beginning to end. Although we had only 41 patients, there were only three medical assistant's ~ instead of four or five. It's enormously amazing the difference in work load between having four or five MAs instead of three.

When I first arrived at the office this morning there was already a patient in the waiting room. I instantly recognized it to be the widower of my beloved patient. After I put my purse away I walked into the waiting room to give him a hug, pay my condolences and tell him how sad I was that his wife passed away. When I asked him how he was doing he veered off into a different subject so I didn't press him. He, to me, looked so terribly sad and lost without his beautiful wife...

Numerous times times today charts were backed up at the front counter while the three of us were completing intakes, labs, nebulizer treatments or x-Rays ~ and we had no place to put the incoming patients anyway because the exam rooms were all full. Being that I am the new kid on the block I am not as quick at completing my intakes and it often frustrates the other MAs.

I wreck my brain trying to come up with ways to make my process more efficient, yet I refuse to take shortcuts that might reduce the quality of care my patients receive from me. One of the biggest pains we are feeling has to do with rewriting the patient's medication list. If a patient has a long list of medications he is currently taking, and I had several today, it can easily use up ten or more minutes of my time.

When I started this blog I told myself I would not use it to complain about my co-workers, yet today was the most frustrating day I have had so far with them and I wish to write about them ~ only to share how totally different the dynamics can be in an office and how I am personally trying to overcome them.

Our office has five MAs. One works part-time, two days a week, and the rest of us are full-time. The part-timer and I pretty much keep to ourselves, we don't complain, we have positive attitudes and are always heads-down and working. If a physician or a phone call interrupts our workflow, or a patient needs additional assistance, we're there. Without complaint. Without question. (See where this is going?)

Not so for the other three. Unfortunately, the ringleader likes to get the other two all stirred up and it causes unprofessional chaos wherever they have gathered, or crossed paths. These three feed off each other's complaining and negativity and some of the language, and conversations, used within earshot of the patients is completely unacceptable.

The ringleader feels everyone is out to "get her", she hates her job ~ I know this because I've heard it come directly out of her mouth. From what I gather, after listening to her ranting, she is just a miserable person altogether ~ and you can see it in the way she cares for her patients. I know this, too, because I've actually witnessed it AND intervened a few times and taken over the care of her patients.

Recently I was stunned beyond words when a patient told me she was glad I was drawing her blood instead of the ringleader. That says a lot.

The fact that she antagonizes the other two MAs to the point that they are acting just like she is, is disgusting.

Today my Teflon coat wasn't quite as thick as it usually is and I was having a little bit of difficulty trying to let their usual complaining roll off my back.

It could have started first thing this morning when I was filing charts and the "follower" yelled out my name. When I exited the file room she wanted to know why I didn't grab the one chart that was up and bring the patient back. I explained to her that I was filing and didn't see it.

Or maybe it started when the two of them, at different intervals, were yelling my name down the hallways? (How unprofessional is that?) When I stepped out of whichever exam room I was in at the time to acknowledge them they let me know charts were backed up and I needed to bring patients back. Couldn't they SEE I was with a patient?

Maybe it was the way the "ringleader" asked me to pull voicemails off our phone? Although she asked "please", was it the usual negative, rude tone of her voice that just rubbed me the wrong way?

Mostly I believe it was because of her constant complaining. Today I just couldn't shake it off. I am smart enough to never engage with any of the three when they are in one of "those moods" because, unfortunately, there is nothing to be gained by it. They have everything to lose.

Tomorrow, thankfully, is another day.